Familiar Faces
by offscript
Summary: Finding a purpose in life is even harder than usual for a genetically engineered experiment brought into the world on the whim of humans. Luckily, being a trouble magnet with a talent for trading faces makes life interesting between moments spent pondering the nature of existence.
1. Genesis: Chapter 1

On a very large asteroid sat a grand facility, halfway carved into the porous gray rock while spaceships and satellites buzzed around it like persistent flies. Alarms were blaring loudly for all in the facility to hear, and in one particular spaceship, a strange humanoid creature was grinning away as she disabled the safety protocols and autopilot, heaving down a lever with manic energy. The spacecraft she was commandeering pulled away from the docking station just as armed guards burst through the doors and swarmed the area. She hastily accelerated and zoomed off into the void of space before they could even think to shoot at her, laughing all the while in exhilaration. She could only manage a breathless whisper as she stared out at the wide expanse of darkness and pinprick stars.

"Get ready universe, I'm coming."

* * *

_5 years earlier_

The far reaching room gave the illusion of being even larger with the help of high ceilings and a clinical and pristine design. Despite this, it was packed with rows upon rows of bulky glass cylinders that protruded from the floor. These tanks contained a wide assortment of half formed creatures of varying sizes, all suspended within a yellow, jelly-like substance. Scientists equipped with lab coats and clipboards, the majority of them human, surrounded one such creature drifting listlessly in its tank.

It was apparent that the creature was female; portions of her sea green skin were spotted with scales, some wide and flat, and some rising as small spikes to form sweeping patterns. The scales of her face, however, were more intricate, detailed as though they had been crafted with an artist's hand. Her hair had just started to grow, only a few inches in length, and it swayed gently in the fluid surrounding her. The scientists catalogued all this with precise notes, a few taking pictures or videos to act as a more accurate record.

Though the creature had a beating heart, steadily pumping blood through her veins, she had not yet been given life. She had no higher brain functions, her neural activity serving only to oversee her involuntary muscles.

"We're ready to activate this one," one scientist declared, gazing analytically at the creature's emotionless face.

"We don't know if the chromatophore cells are fully developed yet," a woman argued without looking up from her clipboard.

One other scientist was quick to come with a retort, "we won't be able to tell for sure until we activate it. Give the go ahead," he nodded to another, who proceeded to fiddle with a control panel connected to the tank.

"Initiating electrical current," he warned, pulling a lever that sent pulsating sparks dancing through the yellow liquid of the tank. Eyes as red as roses snapped open, though her face remained blank of emotion. Her mind raced with the shock of suddenly coming into being.

She steadily broke through her trance, though her mind remained unfocused, rapidly fluttering through information. It was disorienting to suddenly come into existence. One moment, she was nothing, knew nothing. The next, her senses were being overstimulated by the warm liquid supporting her weight and the pounding beat of her heart. She found it difficult to conclude whether or not she remembered what it felt like to not exist, the notion coming and going like a tide. Just as she began to recall the feeling, it would slip through her metaphysical fingers. It seemed as though those who existed were not capable of knowing what it was like to not exist - just as, she suspected, those who did not exist could not possibly understand what it meant to exist.

As the creature was coming to grips with reality, the scientists were taking great care to record all they observed, murmuring various theories to one another. The one manning the control panel flicked a few switches, and the yellow substance began to drain from the tank, causing the creature to gradually sink along with it. Her feet met the floor slowly, and as soon as the liquid was past her mouth she began to cough it out of her lungs.

Hardly giving her time to recover, a female in a slim suit stepped forward and addressed the creature, "Welcome. You are a genetically engineered organism, referred to as a GEO. You are designated G7 and will be addressed as such from this point onwards." The words well practice and lacking in intonation, a formality that the women obviously didn't care much for.

The creature - G7 - observed the humans through dripping glass with uncanny eyes, before she drew in a breath to give life to her yet unused voice.

"Why?"

The scientists were apparently intrigued by this development, sharing glances and scribbling on their clipboards. The woman that had initially greeted G7, now visibly confused, sent a fleeting and questioning look back at her co-workers. "Why what?" She asked haltingly.

G7 was silent for a moment, mulling over the question. She was not looking for the 'why' of a single concept, though she supposed her most pressing question would be why they had given her life, pulled her out of the indistinct nonexistence. She could not say if she preferred one over the other, though she imagined that she hadn't feel such aimless confusion when she was not a sentient being.

"Why am I here?" she eventually said. She was adapting rapidly, she found, as each second it seemed easier to draw in breath, and her heartbeat was gradually fading into background noise.

The scientists muttered about 'intelligence' and 'sentience.' The woman only squinted at her.

"You are here as property of NebuLabs. You will be administered periodic experiments in order to improve the scientific advances of the Great and Bountiful Human Empire," her answer was prompt and crisp, a slight tinge of annoyance coloring its edges.

G7 could only give the woman a blank stare. Her immediate response to such information was confusion, although that seemed to be a running trend. The next was a spark of anger, though it was minuscule and misdirected, and G7, in truth, did not fully understand what it meant to be angry. Or to be sad, or happy, or calm, or nervous. All she seemed to understand was confusion. And occasionally, nonexistence.

She did not get the chance to ask more questions, as she was promptly released from the tank and outfitted with a metal collar. It rubbed uncomfortably against the few small pointed scales on her neck, though she showed no signs of discomfort barring the occasional tug. G7 was escorted to what the humans called her 'Home Cell,' down sterile hallways and nondescript doors. They came upon numerous hallways, labelled alphabetically, that held rows of windows that looked into moderately sized rooms. In these rooms were beds and tables and other such commodities that appeared to be specialized to whatever creature was living in it.

_A... B… C… D…_

She peered at each GEO she passed by curiously. They were different colors, shapes, and sizes; some with an obvious purpose and some as though various traits had been thrown together into one being on a whim; some awe inspiringly beautiful, and some so grotesque she found it hard to avert her eyes, in a sickening way; some gazed back at her with a certain spark in their eyes, as they knew more of her than she knew of herself, and some were no more than beasts. A few, she saw, had invited the glint of madness into their eyes. She quickly looked away from those.

_E… F… G… _

Unlike the last few hallways, they entered the one labeled 'G'. The only sounds were the scientists' shoes echoing loudly on the polished floor, covering the muffled pads of her bare feet, as each Home Cell seemed to be sound proof. They stopped, and she gazed down at the painted '7' on the floor, feeling a strange sense of disappointment well up within her, one she could not identify the source of.

A touch-controlled panel beside the cell lit up, a few buttons were pressed, and the glass raised. In no time at all, G7 was deposited into her new home and left alone for the first time since her creation. The silence felt like a physical weight as she stood as still as a statue. She had not moved from the place they had positioned her, and she wasn't quite sure what to do with herself. She couldn't seem to get her mind off the single thought, "_what now?"_ She revolved around it like a broken record.

Observing her room, G7 found it to be just as bare as the others she had peeked into. A flimsy bed in one corner, and a plastic desk nailed to the floor by the wall. The only interesting things were the two windows on the left and right walls that looked into the Home Cells adjacent to her own. G8 was empty, just as bare as her own, though when she turned to gaze into G6, she was greeted with slitted yellow eyes and overgrown teeth. The creature was feline in shape, though two whip-like tails waved gracefully behind its deep blue body, and G7 could make out overlapping dull yellow plates running down either side of its spine.

G7 padded up to the glass separating them, her faint reflection overlapping with the other creature's alert form. For a moment, she was distracted from the feline by the sight of her own face: sea foam green, laced with scales, and utterly blank. She blinked in surprise, then attempted a smile. Her lips twisted up unnaturally, flashing white teeth in more of an awkward snarl than a show of happiness.

The creature cocked its head, staring intently at G7, and she had the sudden thought that her contorted face might not be appreciated by the beast.

Her eyes focused on its lean blue form and she raised her hand slowly, fingers hovering just above the glass, as though she was afraid to touch it.

"Hello," she whispered, though she knew it was futile. The creature wouldn't be able to hear her through the sound proof walls.

This assurance was why she startled so badly when a foreign sensation brushed through her mind, akin to fingertips grazing the surface of stagnant water. She fell away from the window with wide eyes, lifting her previously hovering hand up to her temple. The presence returned and remained steady, though a bit more muted and distant. G7 slowly focused on those acute yellow eyes, and she knew without a doubt the thing touching her mind was the creature across from her.

No words were exchanged, as it seemed G6 did not know any, though no words were truly needed. They were able to communicate entirely through feelings and vague images. She told her about life in NebuLabs with the color gray and a great well of monotony, though G7 couldn't help but notice the ominous warning that loomed on its edges.

* * *

AN: woops I made a thing


	2. Genesis: Chapter 2

G7 had been staring blankly at her hands for the past five hours, sitting with a straight back on the edge of her thin mattress. She and G6 had finished their mental chat, though she could still feel the feline's presence lingering at the edge of her mind, ready to be poked if she felt the need to communicate.

She did not feel that need. G7 was instead studying the pores of her skin, the smooth curves of her scales, and the minuscule creases in her palm. She had been made this way, designed like a machine or an article of clothing. She still could not fathom the purpose.

Why was it necessary for _that_ scale to be _right there_? Why did _that_ line in her palm curve upwards instead of down? Her thoughts were a churning thunder storm within her, and she couldn't help but feel there was an aspect of herself that she was overlooking. It was important, she knew on an instinctual level, whatever it was that she was missing. It was as important as all the knowledge that had been pre-downloaded into her brain - everything she knew - as important as the steady thump in her chest which she let ring in her ears. It was a missing puzzle piece in a picture she didn't even know the look of.

The only ones with answers were the humans, and they were not so forthcoming the last time she had asked them something. She figured they would tell her eventually, though. She was made to perform a function, and she could not do so if she didn't know what that function was.

* * *

She thought it might have been a day before she saw the humans again. They had come after she ate the nutrient mixture, a packet of brown tasteless goop that emerged from a panel on the wall. The humans escorted her down the halls once more, this time in the form of two stone faced guards.

They brought G7 to a laboratory, and her eyes lingered on the other GEOs present, undergoing various experiments. It was the busiest place G7 had been yet, with sounds from GEOs and humans alike echoing about the cavernous room. The guards left her with a wide-faced, middle aged human. Though he was shorter than her, he still managed to look down on her past this sharp nose. He eyed G7 up and down, a critical look in his eyes, before nodding to himself. She wasn't sure what he was looking for, but she assumed he found it.

His lab coat swished as he turned to the table behind him, rapidly typing typing notes onto a computer. He began to speak while engaged with his task.

"Subject G7, my name is Dr. Osmos. I will oversee your examinations here at NebuLabs."

G7 startled when she realized he was talking to her. He had a bland voice, and seemed to be more focused on his computer than herself. She paused, wondering how to respond, before giving a stilted nod. It was only after the appropriate time frame to respond had passed that she realized he would not have been able to see her nod, facing away from her as he was.

Dr. Osmos did not acknowledge it, however, and continued his explanation while he finally turned around, pinning G7 with a piercing stare, "You were created with the ability to control the structure of your body on a cellular level, as well as rapid cell division. Supposedly," he tacked on, which did nothing to boost G7's confidence.

She clenched and unclenched her hands in nervous excitement. Could this be the element she was missing, the thing she searched for while alone on her cell? Dr. Osmos once again did not react to her bubbling emotions. She might as well have been a cardboard cut out.

"I want you to transform to look like me."

And, with that simple sentence, the excitement in her nervous excitement bled away, leaving her to furrow her hairless eyebrows and shift from foot to foot nervously. The doctor was giving her an unimpressed and expectant look, but G7 did not even know where to start with controlling the structure of her body.

"How?" she asked after a pause. Dr. Osmos pressed his lips together and raised an eyebrow.

"That is for you to determine."

As far as instructions went, they were worse than unhelpful. G7 just felt more clueless, and utterly unprepared for the task.

His stare did not waver, however, and G7 closed her eyes both to concentrate and to block out the weight of his gaze. She imagined herself in her mind's eye, slowly shifting to become Dr. Osmos. Hair, skin, eyes; all of it changing to become something else.

It didn't work. G7 knew it wouldn't work even as she did it. Her imagination seemed to be just that: imagination. But if it was not a problem of her mind, like the way she and G6 communicated, then it must be a problem of her body, like a weak and unused muscle.

When G7 wanted to move her finger, it moved. When she wanted to turn her head, it turned. When she wanted to curl her toes, they curled. She did all of these motions, trying to concentrate on what it felt like to command her body, for her to give an order and for it to comply. She noticed that before the muscles twitched, before they contracted and stretched, her awareness of them increased. When she was not moving them, and they were not touching anything, it was as if they were not even there.

That was her problem. She was trying to flex a limb she didn't even know existed.

Thus, her solution was to make herself aware of the limb. G7 screwed her eyes shut tighter, trying to block out the sounds of other GEOs and scientists working in the lab, and tried to focus on her entire body. She extended her awareness to encompass the whole of her physical being, the thing her mind was nestled inside of. A strange tingling ran up and down her spine, down her arms and legs and up her scalp. Then, she twisted it.

The tingling increased, and she opened her eyes just in time to see a wave of tiny, reaching tentacles, or possibly spikes, coming out of her skin and scales, going up and down her body just like the tingle. The closest thing she could liken them to was cilia, though proportioned to a multicellular organism. They did not change her shape, however, and when she tried to bring them back she found it similar to trying to lift a weight when past the point of muscle exhaustion.

G7 let out a breath, unaware she had been holding it. She felt both accomplished and disappointed, and finally met Dr. Osmos's assessing eyes.

"That is all I can do."

He nodded, showing none of his opinions on the matter, and once again turned around to type on his computer, ignoring her. He did not say anything else to G7 as he signaled for the guards to escort her back to her Home Cell, but he did not need to. She knew she was expected to do better next time.

* * *

It had been three weeks since G7's creation, and she exercised her phantom muscle everyday. Each time she did, she was able to hold her cilia out and waving in the air for longer, though she still could not change her shape beyond that. Dr. Osmos would watch silently, always sending her away when it was clear she could manage no more.

It became a sort of obsession to G7. As much as she enjoyed G6's company, and despite how close the two of them had grown, there was something about her blank and sparse Home Cell that made her feel trapped. G7 felt freer in the open expanse of the lab, though she knew any freedom she felt was an illusion. G6 had told her as much.

Now though, she was especially eager for her session with Dr. Osmos. She had learned a fascinating trick while practicing in her cell, something she thought he would be interested in.

When the doctor gave her the go ahead, G7 promptly changed color, going from greenish blue to yellow in an instant. She looked at Dr. Osmos eagerly, though the only indication of surprise he gave was the raising of his eyebrows. After a moment, he nodded to himself, quickly typing on his computer. It might have been wishful thinking, but G7 thought she saw a sliver of approval in his cold eyes.

For the next few hours, Dr. Osmos had G7 change her body into a wide array of colors, as well as individual body parts, until they had made it to the point where she could let twisting patterns drift across her skin if she concentrated.

They were the best few hours of G7's life thus far. She felt as though she had leaped ahead in terms of progress, and a new wave determination welled up within her, intent on learning all she could about changing her shape.

* * *

G7 had a pouch in her left cheek, like a pocket. She and G6 had discussed its possible uses for hours after discovering it, though they were able to discern nothing. G7 thought that Dr. Osmos would know, but she was much too anxious around the man to properly ask him.

Thus, the next time she saw him, G7 could only manage to get out, "There's a pouch? In my cheek?"

Her face immediately darkened after the stilted question, becoming a little more blue than green, though the doctor gave nothing away in terms of emotion, as usual. At this point, G7 could mimic his skin, hair, and eye color perfectly, and she had even managed to lose a little bit of height for a short amount of time, but the rest of his features eluded her. Nonetheless, G7 had noticed that the more progress she made, the less dismissive he became of her. She believed this was the reason Dr. Osmos deigned to tell her about her newly discovered anatomy.

G7 shifted in her chair across from him as the doctor grunted distractedly, depositing a few drops of blue liquid onto a Petri dish, "hm, the pouch. It's lined with specialized analyst cells. They determine the structure and genetic makeup of foreign biological cells and products."

She blinked, partly due to the shock of receiving an answer. "Why is that necessary?"

"Once you have the 'blueprints' you can synthesize said biological cells and products with the use of your mimicry nodes."

He was being remarkably straightforward, yet somehow G7 still could not find it in herself to follow along. Analyst cells? Mimicry nodes? She realized that though she may inhabit it, she knew very little of her own body. The humans who created her knew more about G7 than she herself did, and the thought made something twist uncomfortably inside her.

Though it was an opportune time to ask more questions, as Dr. Osmos seemed to be feeling especially forthcoming, G7 stayed silent. Instead, she turned her full attention to making the fingers of her hand shorter, absentmindedly poking the pouch with the tip of her tongue as she did so.

The next day, when G7 was escorted into the lab, she received a long, appraising look from Dr. Osmos before he silently set down an old and battered biology textbook before her. He didn't spare her a glance for the rest of their session, though G7 did not expect him to.

* * *

AN: don't expect such fast updates in the future; just getting the ball rolling.


	3. Genesis: Chapter 3

It was the tiniest of twitches and barely there for a moment, but G7 saw the corners of Dr. Osmos' mouth turn upwards as he looked at the exact replica of his own visage. It was the first time she had done a full transformation successfully on the first try, but to him it would have been her first successful full transformation at all.

She liked to practice such important milestones on her own so that she did them perfectly in front of him. Though she was reasonably certain that Dr. Osmos already knew this and was simply humoring her. Either that, or he didn't care; it was hard to tell.

Regardless of whether he knew her progress did not move at the same rate she presented to him throughout their four months working together, he seemed pleased with what he saw. For the rest of their session, Dr. Osmos presented G7 with a series of pictures containing humans, and she would attempt to transform into them. Her subsequent shifts in form were never quite as good as the first one, but she found she was gradually noticing more physical details about the humans in the photos, factors that she took into consideration when trying to become them.

When it became clear their time was drawing to a close, Dr. Osmos turned to speak with her instead of wordlessly motioning for the guards like he normally did.

"Today's session is over. You may stay in the laboratory before returning to your Home Cell."

He then gathered his things and walked away with a steady gait, leaving G7 blinking. She was sure this was her reward for performing well today, and she intended to use it wisely.

Looking around the lab, she saw most other GEOs and humans were busy, engaged in their own experiments and evaluations. She did not want to bother them, and so she aimlessly wandered the large room, trying to keep out of the way of stray bouts of fire and leaping creatures. The occasional human would run past her with a fire extinguisher or a pale of water, and in one notable instance, a squawking, indignant chicken. Focusing on a flash of yellow from the corner of her eye, G7 finally saw one other GEO not preoccupied with human scientists.

His skin was a bright yellow, though she could just make out a faint tinge of orange on his hands. Two long, thin antennae emerged from his back, arching over his shoulders on either side of his head. He was fiddling with one end nervously, winding and twisting it through orange fingers. Besides this, he was humanoid in form, like G7, and sitting next to two large generators.

G7 ambled over, noticing how he was sitting on the ground and staring at it morosely, and stopped in front of him. It took him all of eight seconds to notice her standing there, and when he did, he jumped slightly and gave a squeak. He tugged on the antenna in embarrassment.

"I'm G7," she introduced herself promptly when she was sure she had his attention. The other GEO looked around, presumably for other people, and stared at her in blank confusion when he noticed none.

She waited a moment before prompting him, "What is your designation?"

He startled again and answered hastily, "I'm K14. Uh, sorry, what are you doing over here?"

"Dr. Osmos has allowed me to remain in the laboratory. You are the only one not busy. I came to talk to you."

"O-oh," his eyes widened and his grip on the antenna tightened before he cleared his throat and scooted over. K14 patted the ground beside him in a silent invitation that took G7 a moment to understand. When she did, she too sat down, and looked out upon the lab from her new vantage point.

Everything was so much bigger, especially the ceiling, and it was hard to see anything other than tables, legs, and tails. G7 could hear K14 shifting beside her, but she did not turn to look. She had come over to talk to him, but now that she was here, she was unsure of what to say. G7 did not have much experience in conversing besides with Dr. Osmos and G6, and one of those was with her mind. Thankfully, K14 did not seem to be as afflicted in terms of social grace.

"I don't think I've seen you before. When were you created?"

She took to the question with the same relief a drowning man takes to air, "Four months ago."

K14 made a noise of surprise, though G7 still did not look at him, "Whoa, you're pretty new. I've been here for a year," the last sentence was weighed down by gloom, as though that particular length of time was upsetting to him. The oddity of it caused G7 to rotate her head and stare at him, wondering what it was about a year's length of time that was so distressing.

When her red eyes met his orange, he coughed and looked away, saying, "Not that a year is a whole lot longer than four months. It's just… you know."

She blinked, "No I don't."

His eyes darted over to her again, hairless eyebrows pulling together. He studied her for a moment, looking for something that he apparently found. Perhaps it was incomprehension, as that was all G7 was feeling, though it was familiar to her.

"You really don't know," he said under his breath before properly addressing her, "It, uh, when you reach a year old, they start sending you out. Away from NebuLabs."

G7 tilted her head, now extremely interested. The humans didn't tell her anything about leaving NebuLabs. Though she shouldn't have been surprised, they had been tight-lipped when she first came into being and she supposed they weren't bound to change.

"Out where? For what?"

K14 shrugged helplessly. "I don't know. All I know is that my friends reached one year, and they were sent away. They haven't come back yet."

His eyes returned to the ground, and his hand resumed its twisting of the antenna. He was troubled, rightfully so. G7 too looked down, though she did so in thought, trying to work out where she could get the information she was looking for.

G6 might know. She wasn't sure how old the feline-like creature was, but her mind had always felt very wise, wiser than G7 could ever hope to achieve. And if G6 was older than a year and still resided in NebuLabs, then she was likely to know where they sent the missing GEOs.

"I'll find out," she assured K14, who looked up at her in confusion. She answered his preemptive question, saying, "The GEO in the Home Cell beside mine might know."

If anything, K14 only looked more confused, "You can talk to other GEOs through your Home Cell walls?"

Of course, G7 reminded herself, the walls were sound-proof. "She can speak to me using her mind."

K14's eyes lit up in understanding. In fact, he looked a bit excited. "I've heard of GEOs with that ability, but I've never met any. I hear the humans are especially careful around those with telepathy."

"Why is that?" G7's head cocked to the side.

"They don't have many defenses against a mental attack. Your friend probably hardly ever gets to leave her Home Cell."

That made G7 sad. She knew she herself would not be able to stand never leaving her cell, as visits to the lab were always the highlight of her day, if they happened. She had never noticed it, but guards hardly ever came to remove G6 from her cell. The one time they did, they had strange contraptions fastened around their head. G7 had foolishly assumed they escorted G6 to the lab when G7 was already there, and that she hadn't seen her because of the room's incredible size. Now that she knew better, she felt guilty for all the stories she told G6 of her adventures away from the Home Cell.

K14, noticing he had upset G7, waved his hands in frantic awkwardness. Before he could say anything, however, the sound of a scientist's voice drifted over to them.

"K14! Why are you not working?"

A human in a lab coat marched over, and K14 pulled an annoyed face, though he quickly straightened his posture and gave G7 an apologetic glance. G7 brought herself to her feet, intent on leaving now that K14 had work to do.

"I'll see you around," K14 smiled at her, and G7 hesitated a moment before attempting a smile back. K14 grimaced.

"Ah… might want to work on that."

Though he looked mortified he had said it aloud, G7 was not surprised. She simply nodded at him and walked away, making her way towards the guards that she recognized as the ones who would usually escort her back to her Home Cell. Behind her, she could hear a crackling sound commence from the spot she had left K14, but her mind was on other things, and she did not look back.


	4. Genesis: Chapter 4

The glass wall lowered, sealing itself into the ground, and the sound of the guards' heavy footsteps were abruptly cut off. It was not completely silent, however. G7 could feel the light buzz of greeting that G6 sent her, and it served to rekindle her feelings of guilt and worry.

She communicated this to G6, who waved off her concern and gave G7's mind a small flick in reprimand for thinking such thoughts. She was sent brief flashes of the lab, accompanied by the sense of distaste. G6 apparently disliked leaving her Home Cell and did not want G7 to feel guilty for getting to visit the lab more often.

G7 was not sure she completely understood, but could tell that the feline would speak no further on the issue. Instead, she presented G6 with the image of K14, along with snippets of their conversation concerning his missing friends.

G6 turned somber. G7, who had previously been staring blankly into the hallway, walked to the small window that looked into the Home Cell beside her own, meeting G6's eyes. The GEO lowered her head and her twin tails flicked behind her.

The tale was long and complicated. It was difficult to communicate complex ideas with the mental language the two of them used, and of G6's personal experience, G7 could only discern blurred impressions of captive creatures, merciless training, and ignorant, delighted humans. There were bright lights, loud music and chatter, and a whiff of greasy food. Beyond this, there was a stronger memory, one that held clearer answers. G6 gave her a cautious warning that somehow managed to taste like spoiled nutrient paste, and G7 acknowledged it before she went diving in.

* * *

_A noise pierced through her head and she looked up to see the humans gathering outside her prison, familiar machines strapped tightly around their foreheads. They emitted a high pitched whine which she suspected the humans could not hear. They wouldn't wear the loathsome things if they could. _

_The glass opening of her cell was lifted just enough to let sound in but keep her from squeezing out, and the click-clacking of heels reached her twitching ears. A stern faced woman in a pantsuit steps forward, surrounded on all sides by guards. The feline vaguely recall speaking to her once, back when she was first brought into creation. _

_The woman was not a cheerful person then and her dimeener certainly hadn't improved. She spoke in a bored monotone that carried an edge of impatience, and even without looking in her mind the GEO could tell the woman didn't care much for her; the feeling was mutual. _

"_Subject G6, I am obligated to inform you as per NebuLabs policy that in three days, once you have reached one year of age, you will henceforth be accepting contracts from various clients of NebuLabs, completing whatever tasks they have requested you complete," she drawled, leaving no room to reply even if she was capable of it. The plates along her spine stood on end, but the woman took no heed of it. _

"_When you are not on NebuLabs property, you will be outfitted with an obedience collar. The controls for said obedience collar will be provided to the clients. You are to reside with the clients for the designated amount of time before returning to NebuLabs, upon which you will resume standard testing, bar the intermittent outings you will soon be eligible for. Your first contract is in six days. You will stay with the client for one year." _

_Her speech done, the woman turned without fanfare and walked down the hall, closely followed by her guards. One stayed behind to lower the glass, and the clacking of her heels cut off shortly before the feline let out a deafening roar._

* * *

Emerging from the memory felt like coming out of a dream, and it took a moment for her to remember that she did not have twin tails or shifting plates in her back. Her scales rippled across her body, reassuring her of its shape.

She tried to swallow, but her mouth was dry. The mystery had been solved all too easily, but it brought her no satisfaction. Numbly, G7 retreated as far as she could from G6's mind without another word. She laid down on her bed, eyes wide open and staring at the blemishless ceiling for the rest of the night.

G6's memory had provided a revelation. What followed was a heavy wraith of dread that walked in G7's footsteps, hid behind every corner, and poked into her periphery vision. When the guards marched her down the halls, she could not help but think of them marching her into a spacecraft that would drag her to some unknown place where her future was dangerous and uncertain. And yet, as daunting as it was, the idea brought her a small zing of excitement which she hid deep inside her chest. And that, in turn, brought her guilt; because while she was worried, K14 was beyond so.

G7 could only describe K14's mental state as manic paranoia. He was a year old, and it was obvious he expected to be taken at any moment of the day. He was jittery with an excess supply of suspicious glances to hand out, even when he was not being observed by the scientists. G7 never had a chance to be with him when he was going through his own experiments - something she only knew involved electricity - but when they were both allowed to wander, she could feel the well of guilt steadily raising.

When she brought up his odd behavior, K14 gave her a strained look and explained that if they were sent away from the labs, a place away from where they were constantly watched and kept in working condition, there was no telling what people would do to them. He seemed particularly worried that they would be under the command of an unknown third party. G7 did not think the outside world could be too different from NebuLabs, and told him as much, but K14 shook his head grimly. He confessed to her, with quiet whispers and darting eyes, that one of the scientists that worked with him had a stash of books hidden away in her desk which K14 had discovered and subsequently read. They were full of social nuances he had not been familiar with at the time, and heavily charged emotions that were not showcased in the labs.

This gave G7 pause. Was the outside really so different that she would be unable to understand what was happening? Would she be hopelessly lost when thrust out into the wide open world? Though, she was still of the opinion that K14 needn't worry so much. He, apparently, already knew what to expect, and thus had a leg up when it came to navigating his way through wherever he was sent. She told him this, but he did not seem to appreciate it.

"Sometimes," he had told her, "not knowing is better."

Still, G7 noticed, after the talk a small bit of his paranoia seemed to have been replaced by determination, and G7 would have smiled upon seeing this if it weren't sure to unnerve him. Instead, she gave him a pat on the head that left him blinking in confusion. It was something she'd learnt from seeing a scientist do to rabbit-like GEO.

Eventually there came a day, not even a full two months after they met, that K14 stopped coming to the lab. The generators stood as silent sentinels with no yellow humanoid to linger near them, and the crackling of his tests no longer reached her ears. G7 was not brave enough to ask Dr. Osmos what had become of K14 - besides which, she already knew the answer.

The loss of her friend, though anticipated, felt sudden. It sent her into a melancholy that not even G6's soothing psychic waves could pull her out of. G7 herself was just shy of half a year of age, and a full year felt like an eternity away. Nevertheless, it frightened her that she could not discern if it was apprehension or excitement that greeted her at the thought of reaching said landmark.

* * *

AN: ...oops


End file.
